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Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Wedding Recap

Nicki is my niece. She and Yes met and fell in love when they were both very involved in the "Driving the Vote" campaign four years ago. Yes, Yes was once on the reality series, Road Rules, but I have to tell you that he was the "nice, sweet, cute, normal" guy on the show (not some psycho.) He signed up before the show was even on the air anywhere and had no idea what it would be like; it was an adventure. As the link to his website shows, he is so much more than some kid on a show from eight years ago; he is an incredible human being and one of the most humble men I've ever met.

And Nicki inspires everyone around her, with her incredible amount of drive, creativity, hard work, and enthusiasm for life. Although she has been on the west coast for some time, I have visited her many times, and Mr.4444 and I grew especially close with her when she was doing her doctorate (child psychology) in Chicago last year. Nicki is someone who lights up a room when she enters; she has an energy that you just want to be around.

Yes and Nicki share passion for each other, but also for the arts, for family, and for the unfortunate. They are a perfect couple, because they complement each other and have so much in common. A friend of mine used an expression tonight that fits them perfectly; it's like you can almost see the love birds flying around their heads when they're together.

They went all out with the wedding planning, and when I say "they," I really mean it. There were many, many special "little things" that made this wedding special. Here are just a few examples. First of all, Yes and Nicki made these fantastic light thingies,which lined the lawn and provided romantic lighting throughout the evening. Nicki and Yes also painted one of these place markers for each guest (of course, only mine said "is cool" on it, haha.) They placed this antique chaise on the lawn, and hung decorative "orbes,"presumably for pictures or just chillin'. This sign reminded party goers to respect the neighborhood in which the reception took place.There were also other painted signs, with their favorite quotes or song lyrics.

Nicki was no Bridezilla. On the contrary; she was the picture of coolness and grace. When we all headed down to the "secluded" beach and found it FULL of frisbee throwers, naked babies, and sunbathers, Nicki did not panic. She simply pushed the wedding back 30 minutes and we all moved to the reception location to have the ceremony there. And actually, that turned out to be the perfect wedding spot.

We all headed down to the dock, where Nicki made a unique appearance, escorted by a kindly gentleman neighbor. Part of the ceremony included a special Thai ceremony, led by Yes's mom, Dow. And of course, they wrote their own, incredibly-romantic vows (there were NO dry eyes through hers or his.) Because that wasn't enough mushy stuff, we were each given a piece of ribbon and asked to put our wishes/dreams/prayers for the couple "into" the ribbons. Then, we tied them all together, and Yes and Nicki stood as the resulting string was wrapped around their joined wrists, symbolically binding their union.

It was California, so we ate delicious, fresh, organic, locally-produced food; most of which I had never tasted before (seriously). If you don't believe me (and you care), check out this menu. I have no idea what kind of animal porcinibavette steak comes from, but I can tell you I've never had better! And although they did not serve Diet Coke at the reception, I learned to like the fancy fruit drinks instead.

I need to go to BED (I'm back at school, hitting the ground running, as they say), but I cannot emphasize enough how much love there was at this wedding. I would put money on the fact that every single guest hated to leave when it was all over, because of the beauty of the whole thing. Nicki and Yes are incredible as individuals, and now, as a couple, the sky's the limit. I can't wait to see where they fly...

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